Outgoing Western Australia head coach Adam Voges will take the reins of Seattle Orcas in next season’s Major League Cricket as he furthers his leadership credentials on the T20 franchise circuit.Voges replaces Australian compatriot Matthew Mott, who was fired after Orcas lost their first five games of the 2025 season. Having recently announced that he will step down as WA head coach at the end of the current domestic season, it was widely anticipated that Voges would take up a senior role at an MLC franchise.”I am very excited to be joining the Seattle Orcas for the upcoming season,” Voges said. “The MLC competition continues to grow and I look forward to working with the owners, players and staff to help bring success both on and off the field.”Overseeing an incredible run of success for WA after replacing Justin Langer in 2018, Voges has long been touted as a successor to Australia head coach Andrew McDonald whose current contract runs through to 2027. McDonald has indicated that he is unlikely to seek an extension having been in the job since early 2022.Voges has previously coached Australia A and worked with the national side.In the meantime, Voges has decided to further his coaching development through T20 franchise cricket. As flagged by ESPNcricinfo, Voges has joined Trent Rockets in the Hundred as an assistant coach.WA Cricket are continuing discussions with Voges about staying on as Perth Scorchers head coach in the BBL having led the franchise to back-to-back titles in BBL11 and 12. Voges also twice lifted the trophy as captain of Scorchers.Related

• Seattle Orcas part ways with coach Mott

Assistants Beau Casson and Tim MacDonald will likely be in the mix to replace Voges as WA head coach.Voges, who averaged a remarkable 61.87 from 20 Tests for Australia, will be tasked with lifting Orcas back up the ladder. After making the final in MLC’s debut season, Orcas won just four of 17 games across 2024-25.”We are thrilled to welcome Adam Voges to the Seattle Orcas family,” Orcas chief Hemant Dua said. “He brings a proven pedigree of winning, a distinctive ability to develop world-class talent, and a deep understanding of the nuances of T20 franchise cricket.”His dominant run with Western Australia and the Perth Scorchers speaks to his expertise. We believe Adam’s calm demeanor, tactical intelligence, and commitment to building a high-performance culture will be pivotal as we aim for the Major League Cricket title.”We are building something special in Seattle, and Adam is undoubtedly the right person to lead the charge.”Orcas are co-owned, among others, by GMR Group and JSW Sports, who are also co-owners of Delhi Capitals in the IPL and WPL, and their entities in SA20 (Pretoria Capitals) and UAE’s ILT20 (Dubai Capitals).

Former Arsenal star Nicolas Pepe has used a Dragon Ball Z analogy to explain the GOAT battle that continues to rage between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. The Portuguese superstar is considered to be Vegeta to Messi’s Goku, with Pepe claiming that the eight-time Ballon d’Or-winning Argentine “slaps everyone” when it comes to the greatest of all-time debate.

• GOAT debate: Messi & Ronaldo battle for No.1 spot

  Discussion regarding who can rightly call themselves the best to ever do it has rumbled on for over 20 years. Ronaldo and Messi have spent two decades at the very top of their chosen profession, claiming 13 Golden Balls and countless entries in the record books between them.

  Messi, who has enhanced his standing as the most decorated player in history with an MLS Cup triumph at Inter Miami – taking him to 47 major honours – is a World Cup winner and the man held up by many as the finest performer of this, or any other generation.

  Others have sided with Ronaldo, with the Al-Nassr icon – who has previously turned out for Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus – still going strong at 40 years of age as he continues to prove what can be achieved through relentless hard work.

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  Messi vs Ronaldo: Dragon Ball Z analogy

  Ronaldo, who is giving no thought to retirement just yet, has happily billed himself as the GOAT. He is set to grace another World Cup next summer, with Messi also expected to take part at that event as Argentina seek to defend their global crown in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

  Pepe could also make that tournament with the Ivory Coast and has added his voice to the long-running GOAT debate. The 30-year-old forward, who is now on the books of Spanish side Villarreal, has told of why CR7 talks too much to be considered the greatest: “Cristiano Ronaldo does a lot of interviews, and he talks a lot about Messi, and that's how you see that he (Ronaldo) is number two.

  “You know Dragon Ball Z? Vegeta always talked like that (about Goku), and who never talked: Goku. Ronaldo has the same frustration that Messi is always ahead of him.

  “In the Messi or Ronaldo debate, I say Messi, if you only look at football properly, forget the stats, all that, Messi is insane. There is no human on earth that can look Messi in the eyes(play like Messi). There won't be another Messi.”

• Super powers: Pepe explains why Messi 'slaps everyone'

  Pepe, who spent four years tied to Premier League giants Arsenal between 2019 and 2023, added on why he will always pick South American flair over Portuguese passion: “As a footballer? Messi slaps everyone, he's an otherworldly being, and we'll never see a player like him again. In discussions about Messi and Ronaldo, I say Messi.

  “When you talk about statistics and what each player does, there are those who might say Ronaldo, but if you're following football closely because the experts and everyone in the field, in fact, say Messi.

  "Forget the statistics, forget who jumps high, who shoots powerfully, just focus on the football itself! Messi is a crazy thing. Neymar at the peak of his form looks directly into Cristiano's eyes (meaning on the same level), forget about the statistics.”

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  Samba superstar: Why Neymar does not run Messi close

  Brazilian superstar Neymar – who remains the most expensive player in history after joining Paris Saint-Germain for €222 million (£194m/$258m) in 2017 – has run Messi and Ronaldo close at times over the course of his career, but has never been able to land a Ballon d’Or and seen unfortunate injuries limit his powers.

  Quizzed on whether Brazil’s all-time leading scorer occupies the same talent pool as Messi, with his game all about entertaining with quick feet and clever flicks, Pepe said: “No, no, he doesn't look into Messi's eyes, Messi gives him two slaps on the face.”

  Messi has committed to a contract at Inter Miami through 2028, which will take him beyond his 40th birthday, while Ronaldo is working on a new two-year deal at Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr and is being tipped to play on towards more international tournaments with Portugal – having already earned 226 caps and scored 143 goals for his country.

Bruno Fernandes has been accused of playing out of his usual position because he wants to do "too much" as Manchester United captain. Former United defender Patrice Evra said Fernandes had carried United on his back in recent years with the numbers of goals and assists he has contributed to the Red Devils but he believes he could do with exerting more control on the team.

Fernandes having mixed season with Man Utd

Fernandes rejected a highly-lucrative offer from Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in the summer to stay at United but has experienced mixed fortunes in a hit-and-miss season for the Red Devils. Fernandes has contributed to 10 of the team's 26 goals in the Premier League, scoring twice and getting an assist in their last game against Wolves. 

The captain, however, has been blamed for United's inconsistent results such as losing at home to 10-man Everton and failing to beat a poor West Ham side in the last three weeks, having pulled off impressive wins over the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea and Crystal Palace.

And former United left-back Evra said Fernandes' tendency to play all over the pitch rather than focus on his central midfield role is preventing him from controlling the team's play as he should.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportEvra: Hard to tell where Fernandes is playing

Evra told GOAL, via : "It’s always sensitive to talk about Bruno. It depends what people call a real captain. With a captain, sometimes you can have someone like Roy Keane or a different one. Bruno is giving assists and scoring goals, this has never been the issue. The issue for me is for him to control the team and the tempo when he gets the ball.

"You couldn't tell me where he's playing because he's everywhere. So sometimes maybe as a captain, you want to do extra, you want to do too much. And at the end, you're not even at your right position. But United wouldn't be where they are in the table if Bruno wasn't playing."

Evra: Maguire a better player since losing captaincy

Evra said he has no issues with Fernandes being United's skipper. But he noted how Harry Maguire had a burden lifted from him when he had the captaincy taken off him by Erik ten Hag in 2023. Maguire – who is currently out injured – has changed the narrative around him in the last two seasons with much-improved performances in defence, proving well-suited to Amorim's back three. 

He has scored six goals since the start of last season, including handing United their first victory at Anfield in 10 seasons and grabbing the famous last-gasp winner against Lyon in the Europa League. 

Evra explained: "I don't question the fact about Bruno being a captain – he deserves to be captain because Amorim has chosen him. Look at what's happening to Maguire. They got rid of the armband and he now plays like a United player. You saw how people were bullying him on social media or whatever. But he said, I'm staying here."

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(C)Getty ImagesUnited can't afford to not return to UCL

United climbed into sixth place in the Premier League after beating Wolves and the challenge is to move into the top four and return to the Champions League after a two-year absence. Evra said United should have no excuse for not qualifying for Europe's top competition, which they did in all but one of his nine seasons at Old Trafford as a player.

"Under the previous manager, we won the FA Cup and EFL Cup, but you lose a lot by not being in the Champions League," Evra said. "It’s going to be tough. You’ve got Arsenal, City, Chelsea and Aston Villa giving it a real go. If United do not finish in the top four then it’ll be a massive disappointment – a failure. 

"When I played for United, the goal was winning four trophies per season and now we’re talking about qualifying for the Champions League. Our wages went down by 30 per cent if we didn’t qualify for the Champions League, but we never had that issue."

The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Detroit Tigers 8-5 on Tuesday night at PNC Park. Unfortunately for the Tigers, there was a real moment in the 4th inning as a sacrifice fly turned into an inning-ending 9-2 double-play when a baserunner forgot to touch the plate.

With the Tigers down 3-0 in the top of the 4th, Detroit outfielder Wenceel Perez led off the inning with a walk and then advanced to third on a single by Spencer Torkelson. With one out, Zach McKinstry hit a fly ball to right field that was caught cleanly by Alexander Canario. That's when Perez tagged up, but forgot his assignment on his way home.

Perez beat the throw to the plate, but as he slid in head first he apparently had his eyes closed and neglected to reach out and touch home. Eventually, Pirates catcher Henry Davis applied the tag as Perez completely slid past home without ever sticking out any body part to make any contact with the plate whatsoever.

Instead of scoring a run and still having a runner in scoring position, the inning ended without any runs. The Pirates added two more runs in the bottom half of the inning and the Tigers were never able to catch up.

The Texas Rangers and San Diego Padres kicked off a weekend series at Petco Park on Friday.

With one out in the bottom of the 5th inning, Trenton Brooks hit a ball off the wall in right field. Right fielder Adolis Garcia fielded the ball off one bounce and made a good throw to second base, but Brooks beat the tag of Corey Seager.

Then he popped up.

The Rangers challenged the play and it was confirmed that Seager had kept the tag on him as he levitated above the bag. It almost doesn't seem fair when you consider middle infielders are allowed the latitude of the "neighborhood play," an unwritten rule widely accepted to the point where MLB.com has a page defining it.

This is the second time this happened this season. In April a game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Texas Rangers ended when Wyatt Langford stole second, but was called out because he popped off the bag.

أعلن الاتحاد الدولي لكرة القدم، فيفا، عن قرار جديد يخص بطولة كأس العالم نسخة 2026، والتي ستُقام الصيف المقبل في كل من الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية، كندا والمكسيك.

وتستضيف الدول الثلاثة المذكورة نهائيات كأس العالم في الفترة بين 11 يونيو و19 يوليو 2026، حيث أجرى فيفا مراسم القرعة يوم الجمعة الماضي.

وذكرت شبكة “nbcnews” الأميركية أن الاتحاد الدولي لكرة القدم أعلن أنه سيُدرج فترة راحة، لمدة 3 دقائق، في شوطي كل مباراة في كأس العالم، وليس فقط في اللقاءات التي تُقام في الطقس الحار.

وأوضحت أن الحكم سيوقف المباراة بعد 22 دقيقة من بداية كل شوط حتى يتسنى للاعبين فرصة التقاط الأنفاس وشرب المياه، بغض النظر عن درجة الحرارة أو الدولة المضيفة، أو ما إذا كان الملعب مزودًا بسقف ومكيف هواء أم لا.

اقرأ أيضًا.. تقارير: فيفا قد يورط مصر وإيران في كأس العالم بقرار صادم

وأشارت إلى أن ذلك القرار قد يُلاقي استحسانًا لدى هيئات البث، لأنه يُسهل من عملية التنبؤ بجدول المباريات، وتم اتخاذ ذلك القرار من جانب فيفا عندما حضر مانولو زوبيريا، كبير مسؤولي البطولات في الهيئة الحاكمة لكأس العالم 2026، اجتماعًا مع هيئات البث.

وأفادت بأن الحكام قد يتمتعون ببعض المرونة في حال توقف اللعب قبل الدقيقة 22 بقليل بسبب حالات الإصابة.

ويأتي هذا التغيير بعد أن أثرت الحرارة والرطوبة على اللاعبين خلال بعض مباريات كأس العالم للأندية الأخير في الولايات المتحدة، حيث عانى اللاعبون من مختلف الفرق، من تأثير الطقس بشكل سلبي.

Livvy Dunne's attempt to buy Babe Ruth's old apartment on the Upper West Side in New York was blocked by the building's co-op board.

The social media star took to TikTok on Tuesday to tell her eight million followers about her attempt to buy the property in Manhattan. Dunne said, "It was Babe Ruth's apartment. So naturally, like, I'm telling everybody. I'm excited. I was gonna buy it and I was gonna pay with cash, like I wanted this apartment bad."

The realtor was so confident that Dunne would land the apartment that she even brought her boyfriend, Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes to the apartment. She also hired an interior designer.

Dunne reportedly made an offer on the apartment the seller accepted, but that wasn't the final step. The co-op board rejected her application to purchase the property without giving a reason.

"For all I know, they could have been Alabama fans and I went to LSU," Dunne quipped. "I have no clue. Maybe they didn't want a public figure living there. But I was literally supposed to get the keys, and that week they denied me."

The SI Swimsuit cover model then had some advice for her followers. "Long story short, don’t try to live in a co-op. You might get denied and you won’t get Babe Ruth’s apartment," Dunne said.

Bullpens win World Series titles, and the New York Yankees appear to be acting with that knowledge.

The Yankees are acquiring pitcher Camilo Doval from the San Francisco Giants, according to a Thursday afternoon report from ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Doval, 28, has pitched five years for the Giants. He has spent four of those years as the team's primary closer, and has accumulated 107 saves. He departs the franchise seventh on its all-time list in that category, including a National League-best 39 in 60 games finished in 2023.

In 2024, his ERA ballooned to 4.88 and he cost the team half a win above replacement per Baseball Reference; he has recovered nicely with a 3.09 ERA in 2025.

He joins a New York team looking for bullpen help as it navigates choppy waters in the American League East division. Once the leaders of that division, the Yankees now trail the Toronto Blue Jays by four games—although they occupy a favorable position in the wild-card race.

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O Santos superou a Portuguesa por 4 a 2 nos pênaltis, após empate em 0 a 0 no tempo regulamentar, pelas quartas de final do Paulistão, na Vila Belmiro. Destaque da partida foi o goleiro João Paulo, que fez ótimas defesas durante o jogo e pegou uma das cobranças da Lusa na disputa de penalidades.

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O equilíbrio do confronto do início ao fim foi surpreendente, considerando os resultados das duas equipes até aqui no estadual. O Santos teve a segunda melhor campanha da fase de grupos, enquanto a Portuguesa foi a pior equipe dos oito classificados às quartas, com 15 pontos a menos do que o Peixe. Mesmo assim, o empate não saiu do placar e a decisão ficou para os pênaltis.

⚽ COMO FOI A PARTIDA?

O Santos iniciou o jogo tentando pressionar a saída de bola da Portuguesa, mas foi a Lusa quem criou as melhores chances no primeiro tempo. Os visitantes apostaram na bola aérea e levaram perigo, até que Quintana perdeu chance claríssima aos 21 minutos. Depois, o Peixe cresceu e conseguiu bons ataques, principalmente com Otero no lado direito.

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Na segunda etapa, o duelo seguiu equilibrado, com ótimas chances para os dois lados. Contudo, quem teve a oportunidade mais clara foi a Portuguesa, quando Henrique Dourado ficou cara a cara com João Paulo e parou em um milagre do goleiro santista. Pouco depois, Otero foi expulso após pisão em Giovanni Augusto e deixou o Peixe com um a menos por 20 minutos. Ao final, nada de gols e a vaga na semifinal foi decidida nos pênaltis, e o time da Vila Belmiro venceu por 4 a 2, com JP defendendo uma das cobranças.

✅ O QUE VEM POR AÍ?

Com a classificação, o Santos irá enfrentar o Red Bull Bragantino nas na semifinal do Paulistão, marcada o dia 27 de marços, quarta-feira, ainda sem horário definido. Palmeiras e Novorizontino fazem a outra partida das semis.

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Campeonato PaulistaPaulistãoPortuguesaSantos

After making a solid start to their first season back in the Premier League, Leeds United are reportedly ready to ramp up their January move to sign a Serie A attacker.

Leeds' 2026 transfer plans

Daniel Farke couldn’t have made his desire for attacking signings much clearer during the summer if he tried. The German watched on as Leeds tried and failed to sign the likes of Facundo Buonanotte and was forced to settle for the likes of Noah Okafor and Dominic Calvert-Lewin instead. So far, however, he has used the cards he has been dealt to form a side capable of Premier League survival.

The Whites sit 15th in the top-flight and four points above the dropzone. There’s still a long way to go – 31 games to be exact – but there’s no denying that Farke’s side have made a solid start and only suffered defeat against Tottenham Hotspur last time out thanks to two deflected efforts.

The January transfer window could also help solve Leeds’ attacking problems to make up for their summer struggles. The likes of Chris Wood have already reportedly been eyed in what would be a significant return and others could follow.

Alongside the Nottingham Forest striker, those at Elland Road have also reportedly set their sights on a Serie A attacker, who would add some much-needed creative spark.

Leeds exploring Lorenzo Pellegrini deal

According to Football Insider, Leeds are now exploring a deal to sign Lorenzo Pellegrini in January and are ready to ramp up their pursuit of AS Roma’s attacking midfielder.

The Italian has less than 12 months remaining on his current contract and will be free to negotiate a pre-contract deal with interested clubs in January – handing Leeds quite the opportunity. The Yorkshire club could wait until the summer to land a free deal for his services or tempt Roma into a cut-price deal as they look to cash in before it’s too late.

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Whatever they decide to do, though, Leeds will have to act quick. Given his contract situation, they’re unlikely to be the only club interested in Pellegrini’s signature.

Roma boss Gian Piero Gasperini may also be keen to keep hold of the 29-year-old after telling reporters last month: “Pellegrini strikes the ball very well and has excellent timing on his runs, but this doesn’t necessarily have to be all he does. He must play as a midfielder and create chances as he did today.”

Considering the likely interest in his signature, there’s no doubt that Leeds would be securing quite the coup by signing Pellegrini in 2026.